Santa Cruz Dec. 22

If it's possible to build a town specifically for surfers, Santa Cruz would be the perfect prototype. It's Surf City North. Protected from the dominant NW winds, every nook and cranny in the coastline seems to offer up a good surf spot. Unfortun ately, that tailor-made aspect also means a helluva high percentage of the population surfs, not to mention the out-of-towners from points north, south and east (like me) that come there. Your doctor, high school history teacher, auto mechanic, priest, gardener, etc., they all surf, which makes for crowded, i.e. sometimes tense situations. But as long as you know that going in, the contrast of the idyllic setting and the hustle and bustle of the lineups won't throw you off too much. The town itself is also beautiful. Downtown SC got rocked pretty damn hard during the Loma Prieta earthquake, but it's since been rebuilt and revita lized. There are still a lot of the original Victorian houses (painted ladies), which are really cool to check out. Lately, because I've been gone for so long, I kinda lose my bearings when I pass through downtown, but I was in no hurry. I stopped to take a couple of photos of this tree.
I also took a picture from the car of this Victorian (the photo doesn't do it justice). It really is worth it to check these houses out. If you don't know what I am talking about, it's those houses that they show in the opening credits of that great tv show Full House (kill me now, please).


Anyway, if you're going to surf in Santa Cruz, you gotta check the Lane (Steamer Lane that is). It's the epicenter of surfing in Santa Cruz. It's yet another picturesque spot in SC that has several great waves and is also one of the best places in the world to just watch surfing, due to the fact that spectators can view the action from the cliff and look down on the lineup. A functioning lighthouse rests near the tip of the point. The interior of the lighthouse also doubles as a surfing museum. Another landmark is the metal man statue.

Well, when I got to the Lane, the swell was pumping, although the tide was too high. (Yeah that's my excuse.)

Keep in mind that the cliffs sit about maybe 20 feet above the water. Well, for a land-locked Gulf surfer, it looked a bit much for me for now, so I opted for something more manageable and headed to the East Side.

(I'll continue this later, b/c I'm actually going surfing (and snowboarding) again. I'll be gone for the weekend. Happy New Year!)

Over the Diablo Range

12/22/06

3 days before Xmas and it's 36 deg. F in the Valley.

Time to go surfing.

Got the car loaded and the coffee brewed and I was on the road maybe about 7:30 or so. It was pretty windy at home, so I was a little worried that it would be really windy crossing the coastal mountains, but I figured it couldn't be too bad. The stereotypical California surfer lifestyle is as far removed from the valley as, say the midwest. Well, skating and snowboarding has changed that a bit. And you actually can surf in the midwest, in a number of spots. Hell, you can surf in all 50 states! But still, leaving to go surfing from Turlock is quite a bit different than already being near the coast. The drive is quieter, more meditative. And your excitement builds a lot more slowly. It just doesn't feel like you're going surfing until you get to highway 1. The scenery is more like this:

Taking the 165 south through Hilmar and Stevinson, it's mostly fields, dairies and lone houses acres apart. Heading east on 140 the largest town you pass through is Gustine. I always like passing through this area. Parts of 140 run alongside the outer borders of Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge consists of extensive wetlands ideal for duck hunting or just bird watching. Agricultural drainage supplies much of the water for these wetlands. Kesterson made news in the early 80's as toxic buildup of selenium (as a result of that drainage) killed or deformed thousands of wild birds. Eventually drainage into the refuge was stopped. Another story about Kesterson is here.

Anticipation builds a little bit as you head out of Gustine because you can then see the hills that separates the Central and Silicon valleys. The gateway through these hills and to the coast is Pacheco Pass.
140 to 33 and Santa Nella gets you to 152 and Pacheco Pass. At the base of the Pass is the San Luis Reservoir:

The San Luis Reservoir is fed by the California Aqueduct. The California Aqueduct runs for over 400 miles from the Sacramento River Delta to southern California at Castaic Lake and San Gorgonio Pass, bringing water from north to south. When I was a kid I imagined rafting down the length of the Aqueduct like Huck Finn on the Mississippi. Water has long been at the heart of California politics. Read Cadillac Desert and see the movie Chinatown to get a sense of it. When winds blow across the Valley or from the Pass the reservoir is also a great place to windsurf. I've seen wind howling into in the Medeiros area of the SLR with loads of windsurfers taking full advantage.

The morning sun coming over the Pass lit up the hills beautifully. Watch your speed though!
Higher up on the pass it got a little foggy:

One landmark on Pacheco Pass that I remember going to when I was a kid is Casa de Fruta. It's a long standing roadside stop with a restaurant and country store. It originally started as a family fruit stand. We used to always stop to there on trips to the coast and get dried fruit. They also had a fishing pond, petting zoo, a playground and the Casa de Choo Choo. It was one of my favorite places to stop. In fact, I barely remember the actual places we were ultimately going to, but I remember begging to stop at Casa de Fruta. The one thing I don't remember seeing was the world famous cup flipper at the restaurant. Well, he probably wasn't really world famous.

Coming down off the pass, the weather cleared up again. I stayed on the 152 towards Gilroy and all the way to highway 1. Here are some pictures of the valley on the other side:

As you get closer to Gilroy, the smell of garlic becomes stronger and stronger. You get a little closer to civilization as well.

In-N-Out Burger is my favorite burger joint in California. Also, as far as fast food joints go they're one of the good guys (read Fast Food Nation). Don't know anything about the Super Save Market, but I really liked their sign. Continuing on 152 eventually brings you through Watsonville:

One of the reasons I stayed on 152 (I usually take another road after Pacheco Pass) is because I wanted to pass through Watsonville, the town I was born in. I couldn't even remember the last time I passed through here. We lived in Watsonville for a couple of years, I think, after I was born. I'll try to dig up some old photos, if possible. Watsonville is famous for its strawberries. The whole area, the Pajaro Valley, is a big agricultural region. It was nice driving through downtown. Still feels like an old California town.

These are some of the photos I snapped while driving, just to give you an idea of what my birthplace looks like (and also to plug Tino's Plumbing). Anyway, the last part of 152 is really beautiful as you leave the Pajaro Valley and cross another ridge, but it's too twisty and winding to take photos while I drive. Eventually, I got to Highway 1 and the Pacific Coast:

Next stop is Santa Cruz.

Yikes!

Here's the latest NOAA (D: that's 'N' 'O' 'A' 'A'; haha!) forecast:

POINT ARENA TO PIGEON POINT TO 20 NM-
244 AM PST FRI DEC 22 2006

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH BAR NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE
TONIGHT...
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH
LATE TONIGHT...

.TODAY...NW WINDS 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 14 TO 17
FT AT 15 SECONDS.
.TONIGHT...W WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES
2 FT OR LESS. W SWELL 12 TO 14 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
.SAT...E WINDS 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SE IN THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. W SWELL 8 TO 12 FT AT 14 SECONDS.
.SAT NIGHT AND SUN...SE WINDS 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W
SWELL 10 TO 12 FT. CHANCE OF RAIN.

.CHRISTMAS DAY...SW WINDS 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. W SWELL
12 TO 14 FT BUILDING TO 16 TO 20 FT. CHANCE OF RAIN.
.TUE...W WINDS 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. W SWELL 16 TO 20

The 6'0" is going back in the garage.
(Or maybe I should)

Dustin' off the Sticks

Ok, enough talk. Now it's time to get ready to surf. I dragged the boards out of the garage and hosed'em off. It's nice to have boards at home, but they're the boards I had when I was younger and lighter so it's going to take some adjusting to. The board on the left is a 6'0" Nev which I bought when I still lived in San Diego. It looks nice and clean in the photo, but it's dinged to hell. The board in the middle is a 6'8" roundpin thruster shaped by John Schultze of SF Surf Shop. It was the 1st board I got when I moved to SF from SD. It's also a little worse for the wear, but a great board. The board on the right is a vintage 70's ET Surfboards 7'8" single fin. It'd be a great big wave board but it's a bear to wrestle around and I can't duck dive it. I'll take it out to Pleasure Point, or any place with a nice open channel.


Here's a close up of John's old logo, now a classic. If you're ever out in the Sunset (and if you're surfing you already are) check out John's shop on Noriega street. He's been there since '92 or '93.
He's the nicest guy and he shapes great boards. SF Surf Shop is a cool funky little place with really friendly people. If you can't read it from the photo (I can't) the logo says: "Support Unemployed Nomads" (top) "Local 415 San Francisco"

Aside from getting your ass handed to you at the Beach, another reason (there are so many) to come out to the Sunset (and it's on Noriega too) is for a post-surf ice cream cone at Polly Ann Ice Cream Parlor, a Sunset Institution. Where else can you get an ice cream cone for your dog? And you gotta spin the wheel at least once! The link to Polly Ann's official website is here.

Someone told me that Polly Ann is no longer. Is this true? I hope not. I'll try to make it out there to see for myself and then I'll let you know.

Nada Surf

Well, the weather has turned foul in the City so I'm going to sit out until tomorrow. The wind should calm down tomorrow morning and then switch N to NW tomorrow afternoon. Good time for a run out to Santa Cruz. BIG swell hitting later today and through Xmas. Also heading to Kirkwood to snowboard on saturday. Where else can you surf one day and snowboard the next just a few hours apart?

Better do some Xmas shopping today.

Tyson and Benji

Tyson has a new little friend named Benji. Tyson isn't fixed yet, but I think when that time comes I'll ask the vet to leave an opening so that Benji can ride around in Tyson's nutsack. Like a little baby kangaroo. Awww, how cute! They could be like these two:

Monkeys and dogs always make best pals! This pair is from the little village of Gigante in Nicaragua. I went there lwith some buddies last June on a little surf trip. More on that later. For info on Nicaragua check out Dale Dagger's blog. There is also a blog from Ashton (our guide) and Jamie (his girlfriend), but I can't find it right now. I'll post it when I do.

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